First off let me say that after reading the other reviews about assembly I was scared about it taking so long and being so difficult, but my husband was able to assemble this product by himself in 11 hours (this included opening the boxes and laying everything out), I only helped with the slide. He is a carpenter so he does have experience and the right tools. He said for someone lacking the experience it would be a good idea to pay for assembly, for those with experience we'd recommend having a table set up for all the hardware, follow the directions (they're wonderful, detailed, and include pictures# and look ahead at the pictures so you get different views of the product. I have 3 children ages 2, 4, and 6 and they all LOVE this playground structure #as does every other child in the neighborhood) my 2 year old has no trouble climbing the ladder or rockwall and this has made a fabulous addition to our front yard! It looks beautiful, the structure is sturdy, and it smells great! Cedar does tend to be a softer wood so be aware of that...but we did not have any split pieces. I do think the slide could be more sturdy and maybe have more braces under it for support. We are very pleased, it was a wonderful Christmas present for our kids!

Shopped around and found similar designs with the same (and even worse) quality for sometimes twice+ the price of Sam's Club. A lot of assembly steps, but assembled easily. No missing wood or hardware (even some extra hardware for the smaller pieces, apparently by design in case one was defective). While I waited for a rain-free weekend, I assembled much of it ahead of time indoors (slide, rock wall, ladder, starburst, door canopy, bench, bench supports, table top, and even the beam, triangle, and the 2 main frames of the fort) to save time on the main assembly day. As recommended by previous reviewers, I sorted all hardware by Step ahead of time to organize and to find if there are any missing pieces in case I needed to order them. I put them in Ziplock baggies and numbered them with a Sharpie and just used the hardware box to put them in order. The manual that was delivered was newer than the one online, but I did not notice any difference other than the datestamp. A few steps required measuring (versus pre-drilled holes or markings), but no big deal. Would be nice if Step 30 would have mentioned that the view was from inside. Otherwise, the only confusing step (to me) was Step 28 as I am still unclear what the 7" measurement was they were trying to show, thus I just centered them in the middle of the roof. As others mentioned, pay attention to the markings on the boards as they make a difference later. Some look like they have the same hole markings on both sides, but may be off a bit, whether it be the location of the hole(s) or the number of holes. Other reminders would be not to over-tighten the screws. I also used the wax for the screws as recommended to help prevent the wood from splitting. This took a little extra time, and I can't guarantee that it made a difference, but I did not have any pieces split. One thing I will need to do is find a way to secure the door so that it does not keep opening (and banging) in the wind when not in use. Had to secure it with a bungee cord in the meantime. Haven't had it long enough to vouch for wear and tear yet and will have it sealed before winter. Can vouch for how much my 3 years old (and his friends) LOVE to play on it.

The Monterey is a great play set for the price. Similar sets at chain hardware stores are a little better quality wood but do not offer nearly as many play options with a price that is more than double for a comparable set. Total assembly time for my husband working alone was about 20 hours with an additional 3 hours where I had to assist, no way assembly could have been completed without help. His advice is to follow the exact sequence as written in the instruction manual- it is easy to follow and understand. He liked the hardware which made install easier and the set very sturdy. I highly suggest laying out all the parts in alphabetical order as each is labeled. Putting the slide together was one of the more complicated steps. The set is perfect for our 4 year old daughter. She loves her new "Swing House"! It looks nice in our yard. Another good thing to know is that this set comes in 3 boxes that fit in out Trail Blazer although it was a tight fit.

Pros: Made of wood. Strong Construction. Cons: No assembly offered by Sam's club After lots of research, we decided that while Sam's club doesn't offer assembly, we would attempt to put it together ourselves. My husband and I are not the best of handy men (ok, we are BAD). My dad (equally bad) and my husband worked on this for 3 weeks intermittently. After positioning it, more work needed to be done. It is now all done and it looks beautiful. However, we realized that having it look like in the picture will cost us more money. Putting rubber mulch around is expensive! Outdoor tiles are even more expensive! We don't like the idea of wood chips or sand, so we are going to add rubber mulch a bit at a time. If you are considering buying this swing set advice from me: - assemble as much as you can in the garage or a place where you can spread around and not have to move stuff when it rains. - before assembling, check to make sure you have everything. - you will need atleast 3 strong people to lift the main clubhouse part to place it outside. - prep the area in advance - Buy it when your kids are young. It will last until kids are around 12 is my estimate ( I have a 3 yr old) - Know that preping the area will cost you lot more. Be ready for that.

My kids love this swing set! The glider swing is amazing because they can swing themselves and it holds 2 at a time. The bench seat is great for picnics and provides a shaded area to eat. The only thing I would change about this is the slide. It is very sturdy but with the waves in it the kids seem to bounce high while sliding. They don't seem to mind much but it makes me cringe while watching. The set up went well considering the amount of parts. It took about 10 hours with my husband and I. I would absolutely recommend applying a wood sealer to keep the color from looking worn.

We did a lot of research on similar playsets before deciding on this one. For the price (we got it for $898 in Club), we decided it was the best for the money. It has the activities most suited for our kids (age 3 & 4) and the two levels with the clubhouse door is just plain fun! We knew going into it, based on other reviews of cedar sets, that the wood was going to be a bit soft, so my husband took extra precaution when putting it together. We also see cedar sets in our subdivision that are faded so we made sure to lay out all the pieces and laquer/shellac them first. After assembly, he added extra support by staking it to the ground. Even with those extra steps, it took my husband less than 20 hours of build time and he did it all by himself. He did say that the slide was the hardest part to put together and would recommend assistance with that part. But the rest of it he was able to do by himself. He complained that a few of the holes weren't lining up properly. We are excited to get this set up and ready before the weather gets really nice, because we anticipate getting lots of use from it this summer!

Just bought this product for our grandchildren. It is a nice size but the quality of the wood is very poor. Had boards split when trying to hammer or screw into them. The instructions were also a little confusing at times as there are mainly pictures and not too much wording as what to do. I would not buy this product or brand again. I don't feel like it was worth the money.

We had this swingset professionally installed and anchored it down according to the manufacturers instructions. We had it up for ONE MONTH, and on a windy day, it blew over and SHATTERED! 66 pieces of wood were broken. And Backyard Discovery says that weather damage is not covered in the warranty. This was not a tornado or terrible storm, just a windy day. And even if it did fall down, it should have been constructed better so that it didn't smash into so many pieces. Backyard Discovery is asking for almost $400 for the replacement parts. In addition, we have to pay someone to put it back together. If we knew we were going to put this much money into this, we would have purchased a nicer set. Don't waste your money. Terrible customer service!

Fantastic playset! My son loves it and wants to be outside all day. Great to be able to play when a lot of things are closed.

Our swing set was installed last week and we are happy with the final product. Our installation team was fantastic and extremely professional.